The Book of Life: Always Play From The Heart

Why is ‘doing the right thing’ often difficult, especially when people ask us to do something that we believe to be wrong? In this assembly children will consider how to know when to obey and when it is right to follow their conscience.

Film:

The Book of Life (20th Century Fox, 2014) certificate U. Click here to buy the DVD online.

The value of Individual Liberty is essential to the educational goal of developing pupils with ‘rational autonomy’. Schools and families, like the whole of society, function on the basis of certain rules set by adults. In a very simple, even light-hearted, way this assembly helps pupils begin to think about how to appropriately exercise their individual liberty within a school and home environment.

Additional information:

The subject of obedience and disobedience is dealt with in a fairly light-hearted manner in this assembly and we suggest presenting it in a similar style. However, it may be that the topic raises more serious concerns where a child makes a disclosure of coercion by an adult. Obviously anyone leading the assembly, and other members of staff, should be alert to the possibility of this type of disclosure during or after the assembly, and should ensure appropriate procedures are in place for dealing with it.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Simon Says (game)

Play a simple game of Simon Says (using your own name if you like!).

Alternatively you could ask the children to follow your actions, and as the game progresses, tell them that they should follow one, two or even three actions behind you.

What’s My Line (quiz)

Invite some volunteers to come to the front of the assembly and tell them that you will show them the names of some jobs. They must mime the job to the rest of the assembly and try and guess what they are. Start with simple jobs and work up to more complicated ones, e.g. teacher, lollipop man or woman, bus driver, painter, footballer, movie star, doctor, musician, firefighter etc.

FILM CLIP

Play the clip from The Book of Life (20th Century Fox, 2014) certificate U.

Start time: 0:15:30 (in chapter 6)

End time: 0:21:23

Clip length: 5 minutes 53 seconds

If you cannot play the clip, then read out this description instead:

Manolo Sanchez is upset because his friend, Maria, is being sent away to school. His father tells him that fathers do what is best for their children. Manolo’s father is convinced Manolo will be a great bullfighter like everyone in his family, but Manolo wants to become a musician. Before she leaves town Maria gives Manolo a guitar engraved with the words: ‘Always play from the heart.’ For the next few years Manolo is trained by his father to be a bullfighter but secretly practises his guitar at the same time. On the night before his first bullfight, Manolo’s father catches him playing with a band. He tells him that being a bullfighter is in his blood. Manolo argues with his father that killing the bulls is wrong but his father tells him he will bring disgrace to his family if he doesn’t fight and kill the bull. Manolo obeys his father and goes to the bullring.

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? I wonder if any of you have changed your minds about what you want to be as you’ve got older.

If appropriate share a story about some of the jobs you wanted to do when you were younger, illustrating the point that we often change our minds as we learn what we are good at.

[PowerPoint slide 2]

When we’re trying to work out what to do, there are lots of people who can help us. Our parents, our teachers and our friends all know us well, but sometimes their advice is not right. Believe it or not, even grown-ups get it wrong sometimes!

We’re going to watch a clip from a film about a boy who dreams of being a musician when he grows up. Manolo Sanchez and his friend, Joaquin, are both in love with the same girl, Maria, but Maria is about to be sent abroad to school by her father. Let’s find out what happens next.

Watch the clip:

The Book of Life (20th Century Fox, 2014) certificate U

Start time: 0:15:30 (in chapter 6)

End time: 0:21:23

Clip length: 5 minutes 53 seconds

Manolo Sanchez is upset because his friend, Maria, is being sent away to school. His father tells him that fathers do what is best for their children. Manolo’s father is convinced Manolo will be a great bullfighter like everyone in his family, but Manolo wants to become a musician. Before she leaves town Maria gives Manolo a guitar engraved with the words: ‘Always play from the heart.’ For the next few years Manolo is trained by his father to be a bullfighter but secretly practises his guitar at the same time. On the night before his first bullfight, Manolo’s father catches him playing with a band. He tells him that being a bullfighter is in his blood. Manolo argues with his father that killing the bulls is wrong but his father tells him he will bring disgrace to his family if he doesn’t fight and kill the bull. Manolo obeys his father and goes to the bullring.

[PowerPoint slide 3]

Poor Manolo. He dreams of being a musician, and he sings and plays the guitar very well, but his father is determined that he should follow in the footsteps of his family and become a bullfighter. Manolo has a hard choice to make. He doesn’t want to kill the bull because he believes this is wrong, but he also doesn’t want to make his father angry and disgrace his family. Manolo’s father knows him well, and he knows that Manolo would make a good bullfighter, but he is not listening to Manolo, and the advice he gives him is wrong. I wonder what you would have done if you had to make the choice that Manolo did.

At the very beginning of the clip, Manolo’s father said something interesting. He told him that fathers always do what is best for their children. It’s true that our families know us and love us, but sometimes, what they think is best may not be right. When that happens we need to know how to make the right choice.

Let’s have a little quiz to help us think about this. I’m going to read out some statements and I want you to decide if you should obey or disobey what you’re being asked to do.

Statements:

Depending on numbers and the layout of the room you could conduct this quiz in a number of ways. The simplest way is to ask for a show of hands, but you could also ask pupils to move to one side of the room or other (with an option for a ‘not sure’ in the middle) or you could invite volunteers to come to the front and be guided by the opinions of the rest of the group. In circle time you could use the quiz to stimulate discussion about when and why it is right to obey.

[PowerPoint slide 4]

Your mum or dad tells you to tidy your room before you go out to play. Is it right to obey or disobey?

[PowerPoint slide 5]

Your big brother or sister tells you to lie to your parents so they don’t get into trouble. Should you obey them or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 6]

Your teacher tells you to steal a chocolate bar from the local shop. Should you obey or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 7]

Your best friend tells you to steal a chocolate bar from the local shop. Should you obey or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 8]

Your cousin asks you to hide some cigarettes for them. Is it right to obey or disobey?

[PowerPoint slide 9]

Well done, everyone. You made some hard choices there. Sometimes it’s easy to know when to obey what we are asked to do, even though we might not want to. So, when we are told to tidy our rooms or do our chores, we should obey. But if we’re ever asked to do something that we know is wrong, like lying or stealing, then we should choose to disobey, even if the person who asks us should know better.

Choosing to disobey is hard, especially when the person who is asking us to do the wrong thing is an adult, but it’s important to remember that there are always other people we can talk to about it. If you ever think that you are being asked to do something that you know is wrong, then it’s important that you talk to an adult who will help you. There are teachers (who will NEVER tell you to steal chocolate!), our parents and other adults who look out for us.

There are some words in the Bible that can help us when we are thinking about this. Let‘s read them together:

[PowerPoint slide 10]

Read Ephesians 6:1-4 (CEV)

Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says,‘Obey your father and your mother, and you will have a long and happy life.’ Parents, don’t be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.

These words remind us that God wants us to be obedient when we are told to do things by our parents, and the other people who look after us. They also remind parents that they should make good choices too, and help their children to learn right from wrong. Adults don’t always get it right. They may think that they are making good choices, but sometimes they make mistakes, like Manolo’s dad, and we can help them by making good choices too.

Headings and Bullets

[PowerPoint slide 1]

Growing up

Do you know what you want to be?

Has that changed?

[PowerPoint slide 2]

People to help us

Even grown-ups get it wrong sometimes!

Introduce the clip

Manolo Sanchez dreams of being a musician.

He and his friend, Joaquin, are both in love with the same girl, Maria.

Maria is about to be sent abroad to school by her father.

Watch the clip

The Book of Life (20th Century Fox, 2014) certificate U.

Start time: 0:15:30 (in chapter 6)

End time: 0:21:23

Clip length: 5 minutes 53 seconds

[PowerPoint slide 3]

Manolo dreams of being a musician.

Sings and plays the guitar well, but his father is determined that he should become a bullfighter.

Manolo has a hard choice to make.

He doesn’t want to kill the bull because he believes this is wrong.

He also doesn’t want to make his father angry and disgrace his family.

Manolo’s father is not listening to Manolo.

His advice is wrong.

What would you have done if you were Manolo?

Adults sometimes get it wrong.

Manolo’s father told him that fathers always do what is best for their children.

Our families know us and love us but sometimes what they think is best may not be right.

When that happens we need to know how to make the right choice.

Quiz

Read the following statements:

[PowerPoint slide 4]

Your mum or dad tells you to tidy your room before you go out to play. Is it right to obey or disobey?

[PowerPoint slide 5]

Your big brother or sister tells you to lie to your parents so they don’t get into trouble.

Should you obey them or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 6]

Your teacher tells you to steal a chocolate bar from the local shop. Should you obey or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 7]

Your best friend tells you to steal a chocolate bar from the local shop. Should you obey or disobey them?

[PowerPoint slide 8]

Your cousin asks you to hide some cigarettes for them. Is it right to obey or disobey?

Discussion

[PowerPoint slide 9]

Sometimes it’s easy to know when to obey what we are asked to do, even though we might not want to.

So, when we are told to tidy our rooms or do our chores, we should obey.

But if we’re ever asked to do something that we know is wrong, like lying or stealing, then we should choose to disobey, even if the person who asks us should know better.

Choosing to disobey is hard, especially when the person who is asking us to do the wrong thing is an adult.

It’s important to remember that there are always other people we can talk to about it.

If you ever think that you are being asked to do something that you know is wrong, then it’s important that you talk to an adult who will help you.

Teachers, parents and other adults can help.

[PowerPoint slide 10]

Read Ephesians 6:1-4 (CEV)

God wants us to be obedient when we are told to do things by our parents, and the other people who look after us.

They remind parents that they should make good choices too, and help their children to learn right from wrong.

Adults may think that they are making good choices, but sometimes they make mistakes.

We can help them by making good choices too.

RESPOND

Prayer

I’m going to say a prayer now. If you agree with what I say, and you’d like to make my prayer your prayer as well, then say ‘Amen’ at the end. ‘Amen’ means ‘I agree’.

Lord God, thank you for all the good things you have given us. Thank you for each other, for the food we eat and for our friends and families. Amen.

YOU WILL NEED:

The Book of Life (20th Century Fox, 2014) certificate U. Click here to buy the DVD online.